


everything revealed under your light

by englishsummerrain



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: 4 + 1 format, Canon Compliant, M/M, more renjun harem content, unrequited crushes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:13:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29458791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/englishsummerrain/pseuds/englishsummerrain
Summary: Four times someone asked Renjun out during Resonance promotions, and the one person he said yes to.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Donghyuck | Haechan, Huang Ren Jun/Other(s)
Comments: 63
Kudos: 332
Collections: Challenge #5 — I heard a secret..





	everything revealed under your light

**Author's Note:**

> NCT 2020 was really just Renjun's fanclub, let's be real <3

**1.**

Unwittingly, the first person is Sungchan. Maybe it’s because he’s the most confident. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have the ins-and-outs of NCT memorised. Maybe it’s a moment of chance, an opportunity snatched while he’s riding the high of his first recording session.

Regardless. Sungchan runs into Renjun in the hall outside the recording studio, both of them clutching their water bottles. Renjun’s hair is cotton candy pink, ready for the jacket shoot in a few days, and there are a few pimples spotting his chin, a hint of dark circles under his eyes. He still looks nice. He still looks _good_.

“What did they do to you in there?” Renjun asks. “You look like you’ve run a marathon."

He holds out his water bottle, and Sungchan takes it without thinking, exchanging his empty one for Renjun's full one.

“I think I was just nervous,” Sungchan says. “Everyone was looking at me and I was so scared I’d forget the lyrics or something. Thanks, by the way.” He holds up the water bottle before he unscrews the lid, and Renjun gives him a sweet smile.

“You need that more than me," Renjun says. "It's tough work, isn't it? I swear I drink like six litres when I’m recording normally. I can’t imagine your first time."

“It’s so different compared to the trainee stuff. I kept thinking ‘oh my god, this is going to be on an album’ and then trying to play it cool.”

Renjun laughs, eyes glittering. “It’s okay. It doesn’t really go away. I still sometimes have these moments of clarity where I remember I actually _am_ a singer who gets to perform, and it all seems like a bit of a dream. Helps to keep me humble though, I think.”

They fall into step together — Sungchan hands him back his water bottle and Renjun shoves it back into his hands, telling him to keep it. He’ll just get another one from the fridge, anyway.

“You sure?” Sungchan asks, and Renjun nods.

“Seriously. It’s water. It comes out of the tap.”

Their conversation carries down the hall, until they’re outside an empty practice room. Renjun glances back at him, glowing slightly even in the harsh lighting, and it’s then that Sungchan shoots his shot.

“What’re you doing after this?” he asks. His heart is racing.

Renjun shrugs. “Probably just going to go back to the dorm.”

“Do you want to get dinner together?”

Renjun arches an eyebrow, regarding him carefully for a second before chewing on the inside of his cheek. “Yeah, I guess. I can invite Jeno and Jisung, too. I’m sure they’ll want to hang out.”

“Ah,” Sungchan says. No backing down. He’s confident. Renjun is god damn gorgeous, and he can do this. He takes Renjun’s hands in his, rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand, absolutely delighted at the redness that creeps up Renjun’s cheeks. “I mean like. Just you and me.”

“Oh,” Renjun says. His eyes go wide, then soften. “Sungchan, I think you’re great but… I’m sorry, I’m not interested in you like that.”

It stings a little. He must look pained, because Renjun hurriedly adds: “We can still get dinner if you want. But I don’t want you to expect anything.”

“No,” Sungchan says. He nods, trying to find the words caught in his throat. “No, yeah. Of course. That’s okay. I’d still love dinner. You’re really cool.”

Sungchan figures it can’t be the worst thing to do only a few weeks into joining NCT, but it has to be pretty god damn close.

**2.**

Doyoung is going to _kill_ Donghyuck. This, he is absolutely certain of. It’s bad enough that Donghyuck seems to have somehow picked up on his crush on Renjun. It’s bad enough that he’s making him fucking flirt with Renjun through the walkie talkie, but the worst part is just how _stupid_ Doyoung feels right now. He’s following Donghyuck’s commands like a trained dog and in doing so he has _completely_ humiliated himself in front of Renjun. Renjun, who just keeps laughing; clutching his stomach, hiding his mouth with a hand clenched into a fist, his eyes scrunched up and shining with pure joy.

Renjun who looks ridiculously good with his pastel pink hair and glasses, who Doyoung is sure he’s absolutely getting off on the wrong foot with. The aim of this was supposed to let them be closer, but Doyoung is pretty sure now the true aim was just to stress him out.

There’s a moment where his heart soars; where Mark says they’re leaving them alone, but then Donghyuck dashes it by correcting him, and when Doyoung sees his smug face walk into the room he wants to cry. He feels like he’s gone through the full seven stages of grief at this point. He just wants this to be over with.

Lucky there’s a moment of reprieve. A hope. They wrap up filming, and he and Renjun sit beside each other on the steps in the house, Donghyuck and Mark sitting on the couch a few meters away, Mark’s loud laughter occasionally ringing out.

“Did you mean what you said?” Doyoung asks. “About the meal together?”

“Hmm?” Renjun glances up from his phone, eyes wide for a second. He shakes his hair out of his eyes. “Oh, yeah? I guess so? We can be friends, right?”

"I'd like that," Doyoung says.

He doesn't know if he should apologise for Donghyuck's actions. He figures if he does it'll just make things more awkward, so instead he asks: "When are you free?"

Renjun purses his lips together and scrunches his face, apparently deep in thought and so overwhelmingly cute that Doyoung can feel his heart doing cartwheels. He's got it _bad_.

"You know, I'm not sure," Renjun says. "I'll message you when I know."

Doyoung waits, and waits, but the message never comes. Instead they have a V LIVE that ends in him third wheeling for Donghyuck and Renjun. Instead Doyoung dejectedly feeds Renjun cake, while Donghyuck nearly flat out _flirts_ with Renjun in front of him, and it’s only afterwards that he takes his chance, downtrodden heart inflating at the sight of just how pretty Renjun looks standing in their dorm. He slides up to Renjun while he's browsing the fridge and asks if he'd like to watch a movie with him.

"What, like right now?" Renjun asks.

"Yeah," Doyoung says. "Or later. You still owe me a meal, you know?"

"We just cooked," Renjun says with a laugh. "Sorry, though. Donghyuck and me were going to watch something tonight."

Doyoung glances across the room to where Donghyuck is lounging on the couch in short shorts and a hoodie. As he does they make eye contact, and Donghyuck raises an eyebrow, fifty unasked questions flitting over his face before settling on something that looks a little apologetic.

Renjun doesn't invite Doyoung to join them that night, and Doyoung doesn't ask.

**3.**

Yangyang _plans_ things. He's smart. He's good. He'd asked Kun the best way to get a boy to kiss him, and he's so ready for this. Renjun is currently clutching him like a lifeline, his face buried in Yangyang's chest, creaky music playing from the TV speakers as the B tier horror movie he'd picked out plays on. His plan is completely in action, though if he's to be honest he can't believe it's actually working. Renjun is actually _all over_ him, squealing at the movie when it gets tense and bemoaning the amount of jump scares during the quiet parts.

He's glad it's a scary one too, because it makes it easy for Yangyang to mask just how fast his heart is beating. He still can’t believe he’s in this position. He can’t believe he’s with _Renjun_. It had taken a colossal amount of courage for him to even begin to muster up the courage to ask him back to the dorm, but now he’s here, and it’s fucking fantastic.

Yangyang just thinks Renjun is _awesome_. He’s awesome, and he’s hot, and the way he smiles causes butterflies in Yangyang’s stomach, and every time they talk he never wants it to end. He laughs at all Yangyang’s jokes, and one fateful time while they were standing in the gloom of the warehouse SM had hired out for their photoshoot, Renjun had clutched his hand in his while they waited for their turn, and Yangyang had thought he was about to explode.

Louis is the first visitor to their movie session. Crawling up into Yangyang’s lap, and Renjun coos at him, talking in a shaky voice as he purposely avoids staring at the TV screen, pressing kisses all over Louis’s forehead and making tiny meows when he chirrups back at him. It might be the cutest thing Yangyang has ever seen, and he can’t help but grin when Renjun looks up at him.

Hendery is next. Flopping down on the couch and asking what they’re watching, and Yangyang shoots him a death glare in response, earning a barely concealed laugh that goes unnoticed by Renjun — who is currently peeking out from between his fingers, Louis firmly jammed between the two of them.

Kun somehow has a sixth sense for Yangyang’s distress, and he calls Hendery away. He gives him a moment of reprieve, during which Yangyang builds up the confidence to throw his arm around Renjun, cuddling him against him, trying to memorise just how warm he feels.

Unfortunately, it really is only a moment. Dejun comes next, then Lucas, then Sicheng, then _Leon_ , and the presence of other people seems to relax Renjun a little — he doesn’t cling to Yangyang as much.

The movie ends, and part of the crowd disperses — though Sicheng is still on his phone, and Hendery has somehow managed to escape Kun’s clutches. There’s only one option. There’s no way in _hell_ he’s going to try to kiss Renjun in front of half the dorm.

“Hey,” Yangyang asks, and Renjun glances up at him, attentive, fringe falling over his eyes in a way that makes Yangyang’s heart do acrobatics. He has never wanted to kiss a boy this badly. “Do you want to go to my room?”

Renjun stiffens against him — only for a second — and then relaxes. He searches Yangyang’s face, and Yangyang doesn’t know what to make of it. He can’t read it. He just knows he’s being scrutinised, and he wonders if in that moment he’s making a mistake.

“As long as I can bring Louis with me,” Renjun says, finally.

Oh, Yangyang is so not kissing him in front of the cat. He’s pretty sure Louis is Ten’s spy, and he’s not dealing with having to explain himself to Ten. Not in a million years.

“He doesn’t really like my room,” Yangyang tries, wincing when Renjun raises an eyebrow.

“Maybe it’s best we stay out here, then,” he says, careful, and he pulls away from Yangyang, sitting up a little.

“Oh,” Yangyang says, and he glances down at Louis; half asleep, curled up in his lap. “Yeah. Okay.”

He scoops his arms under Louis to pick him up and hands him over to Renjun, who takes him and cuddles him like a child, nuzzling his face against his fur. Louis turns back to look at Yangyang, blue eyes innocent and gentle. Yangyang thinks Louis might almost feel sorry for him.

**4.**

Lucas is pretty sure the last time he got this turned on was when Mark had shared his porn stash with him back in 2018. Snowstorm against the window, grey skies, hotel sheets pulled up to his waist, and neither of them made eye contact or really even acknowledged how weird it all was.

Now is literally nothing like that. Now they have a small crowd as Renjun hooks his arm under Lucas’s legs and lifts him up, grunting slightly, his grip straining against his skin until he lets him back down, head thrown back in laughter before he mimes a deadlift. It makes something red hot and molten explode within Lucas, and even though he’s desperately trying to listen to what everyone else around him is saying all he really pays attention to is the haze in his ears — the absolute single minded desire to have Renjun do unspeakable things to him.

He can’t stop staring at Renjun’s hands. He can’t stop thinking about how Renjun had _lifted him up_. The tiny grunt he’d let out. The way he looked, all shiny and sweaty with exertion. Good _god_.

He’s never been one for subtlety.

“You’re so strong,” Lucas says, grinning at Renjun as they sit beside each other. “I can’t believe you lifted me up.”

“I can’t believe it either,” Renjun says. “You’re pretty heavy.”

“I’m just tall,” Lucas says, and god doesn’t he know. He and Renjun are both sitting the same way — legs spread, hands resting on knees— and because of that he can easily see the difference in their hand sizes. Renjun is smaller than him, and he’d just picked him up like that.

Renjun snorts. He looks him up and down, and raises his eyebrow. “That you are.”

His gaze is electric, and Lucas figures it’s now or never.

“Hey,” Lucas says; because, okay, yeah. He’s still kind of turned on. His brain is still kinda stuck in the ‘Renjun touching him’ mode. He is definitely thinking with his downstairs brain, not his upstairs one. “Do you want to come back to the dorm?”

“What?” Renjun asks. “I mean, sure? I kind of miss Louis and Leon. It’d be cool to see them again.”

And Lucas puts his hand out and rests it on Renjun’s knee; nervous, giddy. “I mean like, you and me. It was really hot when you picked me up like that, man. Would you… I dunno—” he tightens his grip, then releases it “—be down to do that somewhere a little less crowded?”

Renjun’s eyebrows knit together, and he gives Lucas a strange look. “Carry you?”

“No,” Lucas says. “No, no. I mean like. I have handcuffs? You could use them on me?”

Renjun’s eyes go wide as saucers, and in that moment Lucas knows the answer is most assuredly no.

**+1.**

"He literally propositioned me,” Renjun whines, scrubbing his face with his hands. Outside the door there’s a racket — Jaehyun and Jungwoo are over, and they’re all chatting with each other, clearly part of Donghyuck’s efforts to eject Johnny from his room so he and Renjun can talk in peace. “He literally asked me to dom him.”

Donghyuck snorts. “Do you want to dom him?”

“No!”

Renjun feels horrified at the thought. That’s _Lucas._ That’s his friend — and nothing more. He does not want to handcuff him to a bed and fuck him; or whatever the hell Lucas had in mind.

“Do you want to dom me?” Donghyuck asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

Renjun glares at him, then smacks him on the shoulder and groans in frustration. “I’m serious, Donghyuck! He’s the _fourth_ person to proposition me in as many months.”

Donghyuck purses his lips. “Yeah.” He reaches up to brush his knuckles against Renjun’s cheek and Renjun’s annoyance softens a little, because the look in Donghyuck’s eyes is so sweet it makes his heart ache. “I think half of NCT has a crush on you at this point.”

“I feel bad that I have to keep rejecting people,” Renjun says. It feels _awful,_ especially because he can’t even explain why he has to say no. “I think I broke Yangyang’s heart.”

“Do you think we should tell them, then?” Donghyuck asks. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

Renjun takes a breath. Sure, deep. “Three years,” he says. An awfully long time to keep this a secret. Something so bright, locked up within. In the beginning it had just been for the two of them, but now he wants to sing it on the rooftops. “Yeah, I’ve been wondering too.”

“As much as I enjoy seeing everyone flirt with you…”

“Shut up _,_ ” Renjun says, and he can’t resist it anymore — he presses a kiss to Donghyuck’s lips, half to shut him up, half because in this moment he can’t contain it. It’s hard enough for him to contain it in public, but when they’re alone — when there’s nothing that stops him — he just wants to kiss Donghyuck all the time. Memorise his taste and the shape of his lips, the way his mouth curves up into a smile as his fingers curl into Renjun’s sleeves, the warmth of his eyes when they break apart.

“Never,” Donghyuck says. “You’re gorgeous, Renjun. I still can’t believe I get to have you.”

And what is Renjun supposed to say to that? How does he respond? Donghyuck looks at him like this life isn’t enough. Like he can’t believe how _lucky_ he is. Words whispered in late night moments, when they lie in bed together, when they sit watching the summer drizzle in the city lights, crowded in a booth in noodle shop at two am. When the world slows to a crawl and it seems to belong to the two of them.

“So we tell them, then?” Renjun asks. He can’t answer with words. Just with this; a want to share this feeling.

“Yeah. If you want to, then I do too.” There’s a pause, then Donghyuck smirks. “You know I wasn’t kidding about you domming me.”

“Shut _up_ ,” Renjun repeats. “I’ll get to you later.”

Donghyuck purrs, fluttering his eyelashes. “I look forward to it.” Another heartbeat, then Donghyuck takes his hand in his, his smile softening again. “Then shall we go?”

“Let’s do it,” Renjun agrees, and he presses a kiss to Donghyuck’s lips for good luck, before turning away; their fingers still locked tight together, ready to expose himself to the light.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you Nee for the immense amount of help on this, both with characterisation and working out what the hell was happening. Love ya <3
> 
> Catch me on [twitter.](https://twitter.com/dongrenle)


End file.
